After hearing about the meteoric growth, I needed to investigate. I ran an eSports Logo Tournament on BMB in an attempt to see what design details raised the great team logos above the pack.

I observed that great eSports team logos:

have a strong concept

are bold in their line work

are readable from a distance

have a strong color scheme

take more creative risks than a corporate logo

do not use gradients because of limitations in the embroidery and screen printing of apparel

have a sense of movement

and are novel, different, and exciting

Most of these are good principles for designing any logo. But an eSports team logo needs to be bolder, brighter, and more impact than corporate logos. Nuance and elegance take a backseat to a strong concept.

It didn’t sit well with me that I was critisizing the work of designers of eSports logos without having designed an eSports logo myself. Maybe it is really hard and they did the best they could given the challenge (I am sure that was the case.) So I needed to get my hands dirty and try to design a team logo myself.